Cooking and Flowers
"Look, it's Gon," Killua said happily. Weiss looked to see Gon finally arrive with a small group of applicants. Killua immediately went to go talk to him.
Weiss felt a small pang of sadness as he did. It had been two years since she saw her little brother, but he was spending time with his new friend.
It's fine. Killua deserves to have that choice. It's why I'm here. To give him and Kalluto that choice, Weiss reminded herself. Besides, he looks much happier.
"Where's Leorio?" Gon asked as they looked around.
"I knew we shouldn't have let that freak take him," Yang growled.
Ruby gasped when she felt a shiver go up her spine. She looked in the direction she felt it come from and spotted Hisoka, leaning against a tree grinning. He pointed towards Leorio.
"He's over there," Ruby pointed. Leorio was sitting against a tree.
"Let's see if he's alive," Blake said. They all ran to their friend. Yang glanced where Ruby first looked and saw Hisoka. Yang scowled.
Ruby placed Leorio's briefcase next to him as he came to.
"Man that stings," Leorio rubbed his cheek, "How'd I get beat up so badly?"
That made them gasp.
"You don't remember?" Blake asked.
"No, my memory's hazy."
"Well, when we were in the swamp, we ran into Hi-..." Ruby was suddenly silenced by Yang.
"That's just weird, but hey, you made it to the second phase," Yang smiled as Ruby struggled in her grip.
"Gon!"
"Killua," Gon greeted his new friend as he approached.
"I was starting to think you weren't going to make it here," Killua said, "Or that you weren't going to make it at all."
"I just followed the trail of Leorio's cologne," Gon explained.
As they spoke, Kurapika turned to speak to Blake, "Blake, thanks again for..." He trailed off when he saw the brunette had already walked away.
Ruby couldn't help but blink, where was she going?
"Excellent work, everyone," Satotz called, "The second phase shall take place here. I shall now take my leave," then the man then walked down the road away from the other applicants.
The doors to the large gate opened, revealing the next exam site. Waiting in front of the building were two people.
"Will all the applicants who passed the first phase, please enter."
Sitting on a large plush chair was a woman, with green hair, styled strange. And wore a bold outfit. Behind her was a fat man.
"Welcome, all," the woman introduced, "I'm Menchi, your examiner for the second phase.
"And likewise, I'm Buhara," the giant introduced.
Suddenly, there was a large gurgling growl.
Menchi looked behind her at Buhara, "Sounds to me like you're getting hungry."
"Not just hungry, I'm famished," Buhara whined.
"Well, there you have it," Menchi spoke, "The next phase of the exam is cooking."
"Cooking?" Ruby whispered. That surprised them all. That seemed so... tamed compared to last phase.
"We came here to take the Hunter Exam," someone sounded annoyed.
"That's right," Menchi said, "The second phase of the exam, will be preparing a meal that will satisfy our palettes."
"Why do we have to cook?"
"Don't you know?" Menchi asked, "It's simple really, because we're Gourmet Hunters."
Ruby blinked, Gourmet Hunters were a thing?
Suddenly, all the applicants around me started laughing.
"Hear that? They're Gourmet Hunters!"
The lack of respect caused Menchi to scowl.
Yang was probably the only person who wasn't laughing. She raised her hand, Menchi noticed, "Yes?"
"What's the time limit?" Yang asked, "How long will you give us to cook the meal?" When Summer died, Yang learned to cook to help around the house.
Someone taking this seriously and asking a relevant question calmed Menchi down a bit, "You can take as long as you need, there's no time limit."
"So, you're both Gourmet Hunters," one of the hecklers said, "What do you want us to make?"
"Buhara?"
The giant stepped forward, "Today's required ingredient will be pork."
"Pork as in pig meat?"
Pork, yes! Yang knew plenty of pork dishes.
"Feel free to use any species of pig, in Visca Forest. As you see, you'll use these facilities to prep your pork dishes. To pass the exam you must create a dish will satisfy our discriminating palettes," Buhara explained.
"But we won't be evaluating on taste alone," Menchi explained, "So take this seriously, is that clear."
Yang could only nod. Of course she'd take this seriously this was the Hunter Exam. She couldn't afford to waste any time.
When we've both eaten our fill the portion of the exam will be over," Menchi explained.
"Okay, enough talk, let's just get to it alright!"
"Let the exam's second phase," Buhara slapped his stomach, and it made the sound of a gong, "Begin."
"I knew this wasn't going to be easy," Yang yelled as she ran. She and her friends might have, accidentally, caused a stampede. The only pigs they could find, were big and were carnivores... And was plowing into everyone.
%%%%
Elsewhere
The heels of Winter's boots clicked as she walked down the hall. She ducked under the police tape as she walked into the crime scene.
She entered the small restaurant, but that wasn't the scene, it wasn't even the real business. It was cover. Winter went to the back where a door, was torn open. It led to a larger room, filled with empty shelves. There were bullet holes everywhere, and no sign of any dead bodies.
Winter frowned, it was them!
"Damn, what happened here?" Winter's mood worsened when she heard the gruff voice.
"You know exactly what happened Qrow," Winter turned to face the older man.
The man took a swig of his flask, "Goddamned spiders."
Winter didn't understand Qrow's dislike of the Phantom Troupe. Well, she could understand why people would hate a bunch of murderous bandits, but Qrow's anger seemed more, personal.
"Every time I think I finally find them, they slip away," the drunkard growled, his eyes closed.
Winter decided to focus. She looked at all the bullet holes. They all came from one point, according to the angle. Franklin must had been there, and by the lack of bodies, Shizuku was there as well. The two certainly could have handled the job on their own, but Winter wouldn't put it past there being a third member. In case someone survived and tried to run, the third member would wait outside and take care of them. That was a basic tactic of the Phantom Troupe.
Winter went over the facts she was briefed. The restaurant was a cover, the real business was an illegal shop, dealing in stolen artifacts.
The shop opened after the restaurant closed, after midnight in a isolated part of the city. It must had happened then, because no one would have been around to hear the gunshots.
Winter turned to leave.
"Where are you going Zoldyck?"
Winter stopped to scowl at Qrow, "My name is Schnee."
"Whatever, where are you going?" Qrow asked again.
Winter sighed, "There's a possibility they had another member stationed outside when the attack happened."
"I know," Qrow said, "You think I didn't already check? They cleaned up after themselves, like usual."
"Well, it doesn't hurt to have a fresh pair of eyes to check now, does it?" Winter asked. She could have sworn Qrow flinched at the word, "eyes."
Winter exited the building and jumped onto a nearby rooftop. It was good vantage point. Someone certainly would choose that spot to look for any survivors. As Winter combed the rooftop, she found nothing.
She released a sigh, Calm down Winter. They have to slip up eventually. Even Chrollo has his blind spot.
Winter stopped her train of thought when she felt eyes on her. She didn't sense anyone, meaning they weren't amateurs. Winter carefully, used In, making her Aura invisible. Then she activated her glyph and summoned a bird. The bird could not be seen since she was still using In. She mentally ordered it to scan the area. She needed to see who was watching her.
She pretended to keep searching the roof she was on. She closed her eyes, when she focused, she could see what her summon could see.
After circling around her, Winter spotted a figure. It was dark, and they were in the shadow behind the entrance of a staircase on another roof a few buildings from her; but someone was there; watching her.
In a flash, Winter rushed towards them. She pulled out her sword, enveloped it in Nen and slashed through the entrance on the roof.
"Dammit, they got away," Winter cursed. It was brief, but she saw through her summons eyes. A book appeared in the figures hand, it opened, and just before she attacked, he vanished. Winter watched the structure fall, from being sliced in half, "I see your reflexes are still sharp, Chrollo."
The applicants had caught all their pigs and were cooking them. Menchi had already failed several applicants. Everyone that approached her
"This isn't going to end well," Killua groaned.
"Why don't you ask Weiss for help?" Gon asked.
Killua pointed behind him at Weiss.
"Run away," Weiss cried as she ran around in circles as her pig was burned to ashes, "run away from the fire."
Everyone was talking, thinking that there was a trick to passing this exam, but Yang ignored them all, as she cut up the pig and cooked the different parts: pork chops, pork ribs, bacon, tenderloins. There was so much meat.
Yang heard Menchi fail another applicant and swallowed.
Don't think about that, just focus on what you're doing.
"You fail kid," Menchi snapped at Ruby. Ruby felt like she fell down a trap hole at those words. She failed; she'd never be a Hunter now. She made a deal with her dad and she failed.
Ruby curled up into a ball after she failed. Gon was hugging her, "Don't worry Ruby, I'm sure we can convince Uncle Tai to give you a second chance."
Ruby just sobbed in despair quietly.
"Guys," Yang called, "Can you give me a hand."
Ruby wiped her face and went over to her sister's table. She had two trays full of different dishes.
"This smells really good Yang," Gon said.
Ruby just nodded. Yang was quick to give her sister a hug, "It'll be okay. I know we can talk dad into giving us another chance."
Ruby sniffed and nodded.
"I know, it's not fair to ask, but can you help me carry this food to them?" Yang asked her sister.
Ruby sniffled again, "Okay."
Ruby and Gon helped Yang carry the two trays to Menchi and Buhara. Behind the two was a mountain of pig bones. Yang took in a deep breath. She actually wished this was a fight type test, not a cooking one. It was hard to give people what they wanted when it came to food.
They placed the trays in front of them.
Hello," Yang addressed in a forced friendly tone. She wasn't too happy to serve someone who made her little sister cry.
"Hello," Buhara said nicely. Menchi didn't say anything.
Yang took in another breath, "I-I prepared several different dishes. There was a lot of meat, so I didn't want to waste anything. There's barbecued pork ribs with baked potatoes, garlic and rosemary pork chops with sautéed vegetables, and tenderloins, and ba..." Yang trailed off when she realized the bacon was missing. A quick glance towards Gon confirmed her suspicions, when she saw the grease on his face. She'd yell at him later, "... and a few other things," Yang corrected, "I'm sorry if there isn't anything you like."
Menchi raised an eyebrow, while Buhara was drooling. Menchi took a bite from the pork chops, while Buhara just dug into everything.
"Hm..." Menchi hummed. Yang tried not to look nervous. Menchi was the one to impress this round, "Not bad. Some home cooking is nice from time to time."
Was that good? Yang couldn't tell.
"It's delicious," Buhara boasted as he ate, "It reminds me of my mother's cooking. Full of warmth and love," he held up the sign for a circle, meaning Yang passed his review. She nervously looked at Menchi.
"It's not professional," that made Yang freeze, until, "But it's good. You put presentation and taste in mind and kept the original flavor of the meat as well. It's a very homely taste that's full of passion," just as she took a second bite, she held up the circle, "You pass."
Yang's eyes widened. She passed, she passed! Yang was about to jump up and down squealing, until she remembered, she was the only one who passed.
"Since that was the last one," Menchi declared, "Only one person will be passing this year. Exam's over!"
That got a bad reaction out of everyone.
"You gotta be kidding!"
"You can't just pass one person!"
A loud crash made Yang look at one of the larger applicants. He was one who heckling the Gourmet Hunters from the start, "This is unacceptable, do you hear me, I will not accept this!"
"Say what you want, but you still failed," Menchi chided.
"Shut the hell up, you asked for pork, and we gave it to you! We risked our lives to-…"
"Your challenge was to prepare a pork dish that both examiners would find delicious," she pointed at Yang, "And she was the only one who accomplished that. She cut up the pig and prepared actual dishes that tasted delicious to both of us. You all just roasted the whole thing. It's like you didn't even try to figure it out, and when it looked like you had tried, it looked like it was just fancy platting with no flavoring to back it up. It's clear she was the only one who took this seriously."
If looks could kill, Yang would have been dead a dozen times over. She looked towards her group worried. She didn't mean to be the only one to pass. She felt like she was taking Ruby and Gon's dream from them. Honestly, she didn't feel like she earned her title as Hunter. All she did was run through a swamp and cooked some food.
"Yeah, but come on, Pork?" A bald guy asked, "No matter how you cook it it's still just pork."
Menchi finally snapped. She grabbed his scarf and started spewing threats, "You want to say that one more time? If I hear anymore crap from you, I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out!"
As Satotz watched Menchi terrorize the applicants from a tree. He decided it was time to call for help. He pulled out the phone and made the call.
"Hello?" A woman answered.
"Glynda, we have a situation," Satotz began to explain.
On the airship, Glynda nodded as she listened, "Alright, I'll go tell them right away." After she hung up she went to the office of the Co-Chairman's.
"Isaac, Ozpin," Glynda addressed, "We have a problem. Menchi is up to her old tricks."
Ozpin took a sip of his mug, "How bad is it this time."
After Glynda explained, Chairman Netero laughed, "She's only passing one? That is extreme."
"We'll have to see this ourselves," Ozpin said, "Beans?"
"Yes sir?" the small green man asked.
"Set a course right away."
"At once sir."
As they flew, Glynda was looking through the files on the applicants and frowned.
"Why the sour mood Glynda?" Netero asked.
"There are children as young as twelve, taking the exam this year," Glynda said, "What type of mood should I be in?"
"Glynda, we prepped the pretrials as best as we could," Ozpin said, "If they're taking the exam it means they have what it takes."
"To find it," Glynda split hairs, "Not take and survive it," for years, Glynda had tried to have an age limit set for the Hunter exam. She wanted it so that only adults over the age of eighteen could take it. But her idea was always shot down.
"Don't be so stiff Glynda," Netero said, "You know there are children younger than that, but stronger than you."
She didn't complain, but she still scowled at Netero. There was a reason, she was on Ozpin's staff instead of him.
Yang watched as Menchi explained how Gourmet Hunters traveled into the den of beasts for rare ingredients and how every Hunter was skilled to fight in one way or another.
She pointed at Yang, "This applicant was the only one who had the guts to experiment with new things, that's the heart of a true Hunter. Unlike the rest of you."
Yang didn't think that was fair, they just didn't know how to cook a pig like her.
"Well, that said," a voice boomed, they all looked up to see an air ship hovering above them, "It seems a bit excessive to only pass one applicant."
On the side of the airship, was the symbol of the Hunter's Association, two x's joining into a red diamond.
"Must be someone from the exam committee."
Suddenly, two objects fell from the air ship and landed on the ground with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Two men emerged from the dust. An old man wearing a gi, and crazy sandals. A middle-aged man, dressed in green, holding a mug and cane.
"Who are the old guys?"
"They," Menchi was standing straight, looking more professional than she did seconds ago, "Are the Co-Chairman's of the exam committee. They're responsible for the exam. Chairman Netero and Chairman Ozpin."
So, they're the big cheeses huh? Yang thought.
"Menchi," Ozpin stepped forward, "We heard that you failed all the examinees this year, except for this one," he looked at Yang, who just waved nervously.
"From what we understand," Netero picked up, "it was because of their refusal to challenge the unknown."
"No, sir," Menchi looked ashamed, "I snapped when someone insulted Gourmet Hunting and made the exam harder than necessary. But this applicant, despite my anger worked hard to cook a delicious meal. I genuinely believe she deserves to pass."
"We understand," Netero said, "But what of the others? You seem to be aware that this exam is unacceptable."
"Yes," Menchi agreed, "It's just that I get so emotional when food is involved. I'm not suited for this position, so I must resign as examiner, please let them retake the second phase."
Yang almost sagged in relief. Ruby and Gon had another chance. This wasn't the end.
"Sadly, I can't imagine where we can begin to find a replacement examiner on such short notice," Ozpin said, "What about you Isaac."
"Unfortunately, no."
"My deepest apologies sirs."
Netero seemed to have thought of something, "Hold on, I have an idea. You'll continue serving as examiner; but you yourself must participate alongside this year's applicants in completing whatever challenge you choose. What do you say, sound reasonable? Surely that would make the applicants more comfortable with the results."
Ozpin nodded, "That sounds fair, wouldn't you agree Menchi?"
Menchi smiled, "Yeah, and I have just the challenge, we'll be making boiled eggs."
"Boiled eggs?"
"Sirs," Menchi pointed up, "I see since you brought your airship, do you mind taking us all to Split Mountain?"
"Split Mountain?" Netero asked, "Oh, I see. Yes of course."
"I look forward to having one myself," Ozpin smiled.
"Um... excuse me," Yang interrupted, "Let me retake it too. It's only fair."
Menchi shook her head, "You passed the exam within the parameters. You don't need to retake it."
"But-..."
"Don't worry Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin said, "I'm certain the others will pass this time around."
Yang sighed, she decided to go rejoin her group.
"Yang," Gon nearly tackled her with a hug, "You're amazing. You passed this phase on your first try."
Yang looked down at the boy in her arms, then at her sisters and friends. She still felt guilty, "Guys, I'm sorry about-..."
"Forget about it, Yang," Leorio shrugged, "She said it herself. She made it harder than it was supposed to be. Just be glad you get a break."
"Your food is always good sis," Ruby added, "Take pride in that."
"Yes," Kurapika said, "We could all smell it. It smelled delicious. You really have a gift if you can win Menchi over."
Yang looked to the side; she couldn't help but blush a little.
"Well, I'm sure you guys will pass this time around, no problem," Yang said, then she looked down at Gon, "By the way Gon."
"Huh?"
Yang grabbed his cheeks and pulled, "You ate my bacon, that was for the judges!"
"But it smelled so good, and you passed without it!" Gon whined.
Winter sighed when she reached her hotel room. She spent all day, looking for even a small clue for the Spiders location, but couldn't find anything. They really were good at cleaning up their messes.
As Winter walked into the luxurious room, she spotted the small black box on the bed. She stopped and activated En. Her Nen scanned the room like sonar. Looking for any intruder or trap. Nothing, just the box.
Winter carefully approached the box, her Nen swirled around her, ready to defend in case of an attack. The box was small, too small to be a bomb. That didn't make Winter less weary. She held out her hand and a glyph appeared on the lid, with a flick of her wrist, the lid flew off the box. Then less than a second later, another glyph formed in front of her as a shield.
But nothing happened.
She deactivated her Nen and looked inside. Laying in the box, was a single white rose, with a black ribbon tied to it. Winter picked it up and spotted the note that was lying under it.
She picked it up.
I saw that you were looking for me today, you looked beautiful as always. I would have loved to spend some time talking to you, but I had urgent matters.
Maybe next time, you'll finally accept my invitation to dinner, Winter.
It was signed by the number 0.
Winter's face went red when she realized who it was from.
"Must you continue to make a mockery of me?" Winter asked. Why didn't anyone take her seriously, not her family, not her enemies, not Chrollo!
She was a top Hunter, with a nearly flawless record, and that wasn't even taking her former career as an assassin into account.
"We'll see who's beautiful when I finally catch you," Winter growled. Winter had made it her mission since the previous year, to capture the Phantom Troupe. After Chrollo attacked her.
She recalled when they fought. He was powerful, her father wasn't exaggerating. She also recalled that he stole Nen abilities. That was probably what he wanted. He wanted the glyphs for himself.
Winter's sword and Chrollo's Bens knife were crossed. Winter glared at the man, whose gaze never left her for a second.
"Don't act like you've never seen a Zoldyck before," Winter snapped before kicking him away.
"Is this revenge against my father?" Winter asked, "Killing me won't do anything. In his mind I am replaceable."
"I'm not here to kill you," Chrollo said, "I simply wanted to see you for myself."
"Well," Winter raised her eyebrow, "Am I everything you expected?" Winter got ready for the next attack when his book appeared.
Chrollo smirked then he vanished. Where did he?
"On the contrary," Chrollo's voice whispered into her ear, "I never thought a Zoldyck could be so lovely."
Winter realized where her mind was going and quickly slapped herself, "Focus! Focus, you are not going to fall for those mind games!" Yes, that was it, mind games. Chrollo was trying to keep her off balance and she wouldn't let him! No matter how charming and handsome he was, or how nice his abs were, or...
"Focus!" Winter was slamming her head against a wall this time. When she was done the wall was cracking. She'd have to pay for the damages later.
"If Weiss ever saw me like this, I'd never live it down," at the thought of her sister, Winter calmed down. She wondered, how was Weiss doing on the exam?
After a large group of applicants passed the second round of the second phase. They all gathered on the airship once again.
"We had originally planned to come in at the last phase," Ozpin explained.
"But seeing as we're already here," Netero said, "I have to admit, there's nothing more than I love than this feeling of tension in the air, so I think I'll stick around for the remainder of the trip."
"I shall be here as well," Ozpin said, "I hope everyone gets along well, and we arrive without any incidents."
Netero just laughed at Ozpin's comment.
"We're scheduled to arrive at our destination at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning exactly," Mr. Beans said.
"You're free to explore the airship and use the facilities as you see fit," Glynda said, "There's dinner in the dining hall, we all hope you enjoy the trip," she said almost like a cruise director.
"The only thing I want to enjoy, is my beauty sleep," Weiss said.
"Yeah, you need it," Killua teased. Weiss grabbed his ear and pinched, "Ow, ow, ow."
Weiss released him, "Do not bother me, unless the ship catches fire," with that she walked away.
"Isn't she just a ray of sunshine," Yang commented.
"Gon," Killua said, "let's go explore the ship."
"Okay," the kids then ran off.
"Hey, wait a minute, Gon," Yang tried to stop him.
"Let him go have fun Yang," Ruby said, "It's the first time he's made a friend his own age."
Yang glanced at Hisoka, that clown didn't seem to be doing anything, so Yang figured she could relax for a little bit. She'd check on Gon later.
"Cool, I'm hungry, bye," Ruby zipped out of the room.
"Ruby, ugh!" Yang groaned; it was like herding cats.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Kurapika tried to assure Yang.
Yang sighed, "They better be."
"Let's go find a place to sleep," Leorio said, "It's better to be rested and prepared and all that."
"Sure, why not," the three began to walk out of the room.
"One thing still bothers me," Kurapika said, "How many more phases are there in the exam?"
"Huh? Oh, they didn't say," Leorio thought.
"Well," Yang said, "When my dad took the exam, it had five phases. When my uncle took it, it had six phases."
"If that's the case, then we still have another three or four to go," Leorio said.
Now that it was said out loud, sleep did sound like a better and better idea.
"We should get some rest while we can," Kurapika said.
"That sounds like a good idea, but I'd be careful if I were you," they looked behind him to see the man they met at the beginning. Yang thought his name was... Tonpa right? "You heard them, they only said when we were arriving, they didn't say the third phase wasn't going to be on the airship itself and we'll be notified, but that doesn't mean it will be at 8 am or not."
"That's just bull," Yang waved it off.
"Hold on Yang, what if he's right?" Leorio said.
"Then I'll wake us up," Yang pulled out her phone and set the alarm to 8 am, "See problem solved."
Tonpa had to suppress a scowl. She still had her phone? Most Hunters didn't bring them when they took the exam. They were distracting.
"Well, that's a neat trick, but who knows where we'll arrive the time difference is-..." Yang approached Tonpa. She didn't know why but looking at him made her feel irritated.
"Is there a problem?" Yang asked.
"Um no..." Tonpa quickly said, "I'm just..."
"Then butt out," Yang snapped, "If we want your help we'll ask, but until then, beat it," Yang turned around, "Let's go guys."
Ruby walked down the hall, happily eating a cookie. The Dining Hall had cookies!
She walked past a room where she spotted Blake. She was leaning against a wall reading a book. Deciding to try her luck, Ruby walked in.
"Hey," Ruby greeted.
Blake looked up, "Hey," she simply said.
"Um... thanks for helping earlier. Kurapika and Leorio told us you saved them."
"It's no big deal," Blake said as she looked back down at her book. Ruby was young, she'd probably get bored.
"What's your book about?" Ruby asked.
That, pleasantly surprised Blake. She looked back up to Ruby, "It's an adventure book, based on the tales of the Dark Continent."
"I love books," Ruby said, "Yang used to read to me and Gon when we were little. I always wanted to be like those heroes in the books. That protected people."
"Well, that's very ambitious," Blake said, "But the real world isn't like a Fairy Tale."
"Well, that's why we're here," Ruby smiled, "To make it better."
Blake couldn't help but smile.
Yang, Kurapika, and Leorio found a quiet place to rest. They sat against the wall. Kurapika noticed Leorio had already fallen asleep, snoring. Yang however, looked deep in thought. Her purple eyes were staring into space.
Her eyes were the first thing Kurapika noticed about her. He never met a girl with purple eyes before.
"Yang?"
"Hm?" Yang looked at him.
"Are you alright?"
"Well... not really," Yang admitted.
"Is it about what happened during the first phase?" Kurapika asked.
Yang nodded, "Hisoka almost killed them, and I couldn't do anything. The only reason we're alive, is because he decided not to kill us."
"I understand, try to be glad that you're alive, to get stronger," Kurapika said.
Yang still looked tense, "He wants something from us. I don't know what, but when he gets it..." Yang closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, then smiled, "I guess we'll just have to get stronger."
Kurapika smiled, "It seems so."
Yang couldn't let this get her down. She had to be strong, she had to be happy. When your eyes could show your emotions, you have to control them. Yang always focused on the positive. Keeping a cheery demeanor. It took time, but Yang could now get mad without her eyes turning red. However, if someone endangered her family, like today. Yang's fury would dye her eyes red. She needed to remain in control, or her secret would be revealed, or worse, Ruby and Gon could get hurt.
Gon and Killua looked out the window amazed. The lights of the city were sparkling.
"It's like it's covered in jewels," Gon said.
"Yeah," Killua agreed.
As they watched the city go by, Gon decided to ask, "So, I was wondering; your parents, are they...?"
"They're alive, probably," Killua said.
"What do they do?" Gon asked.
"They're assassins," Killua explained.
"They both are?" Gon asked.
That made Killua laugh, "That's your response? You really are a riot aren't you?"
"Huh?"
They sat on the bench overlooking the window, "You're not the first person I told about my parents to, but you're the first person to take it seriously."
"But it's the truth, isn't it?" Gon asked.
"Why do you think that?"
"It's just a hunch."
"Weird," Killua leaned over, "Most people only like me, because they can't tell I'm serious or not."
"Huh?"
"I'm from a family of assassins, so they're all in the business of murder," Killua explained.
"Even Weiss?" Gon asked.
Killua looked up at his sister's name, "Well, yes and no. Weiss went through the same training as me, but for some reason, they never sent her on a mission."
"They didn't?" Gon asked, he recalled how she killed a giant monster in a matter of seconds, "But she seems so strong."
"I don't get it either," Killua said, "Weiss wasn't even allowed to leave the property, unless she had an escort. Or unless mom wanted to take her shopping."
"If she isn't allowed to leave, what's she doing here?" Gon asked.
"Well," Killua looked out the window, "Two years ago, Winter took Weiss and left."
"Winter?"
"My other older sister," Killua explained, "She told everyone she wanted to take Weiss on a training trip. It was supposed to last a month, however they never came back. The butlers that were escorting them were knocked out and both of them vanished," Killua had a solemn look, "I didn't know Weiss was going to take the exam too."
"So, this is the first time you've seen her in two years?" Gon asked shocked.
"Yep."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Gon said, "I can't imagine being away from Ruby and Yang for so long."
"Don't worry about it," Killua said, "I understand why they left. I mean, my family has huge expectations. They have real high hopes for me, but I can't stand it. Who wants their whole life planned out for them," he looked at Gon, "When I told them I wanted to decide my own future they all flipped out it was crazy," Killua looked tired as he explained, "My mom had tears streaming down her face as she kept screaming at me that I had the potential to be a top assassin," Gon laughed nervously, as he continued, "Horrible parents right? No wonder my sister's left," Killua then sat up looking proud, "Then we started fighting, so I stabbed my brother in the side, slashed my mom in the face and ran away from home. I'm sure they're out for blood now, if they come after me, I'll kill em," Gon still looked nervous as Killua fantasized. His expression reminded him of whenever Ruby was looking through a weapons catalog, "When I get my license. I'll hunt them down to the last one. I'm pretty sure they all have pretty hefty bounties on their heads."
"So," Gon said nervously, "You want to be a Hunter to hunt down your family?"
"Eh, well," Killua looked out the window, his face a little red, "Not exactly."
"Then what?" Gon asked.
Killua's face became a little redder as he stayed silent.
"Come on, tell me," Gon said.
Killua sighed, "If you laugh, I'll kill ya."
"Okay."
Killua closed his eyes and sighed, "I... I wanted to find Winter and Weiss," Killua opened his eyes as he looked outside, "I... missed them. They're... probably the only family I actually love. Weiss can be a pain, but... She... She was the only one I could be..."
Killua walked into Weiss's room. He was covered in bruises. They had torture training again. Killua could handle it... most of the time.
"Weiss?" Killua called.
Weiss sat up in bed. Her eyes adjusted and she saw Killua there. Covered in wounds, he was making that expression again.
Weiss got up, and with the gentlest strength she had, she hugged him.
"It's okay," she whispered, "It's going to be okay."
She led him to her bed, where she just held him. Killua was crying. He wasn't sobbing loudly like he used to when he was younger, but tears were still leaking out of his eyes. She gently stroked his hair as she began to sing.
Winter did the same thing for her when she went through training. It always made her feel better, she hoped it made Killua feel better. Weiss tried to comfort her younger siblings as much as she could.
She didn't understand why they kept her at home. She went through the training without question or hesitation, but they never let her leave. It was so suffocating trying to live up to what they wanted but seemed to keep failing to do so.
It must had been harder for her younger siblings. She loved them. Weiss loved them so much. She did everything she could to make sure they knew that, and they didn't need to earn it. She loved them for just existing.
Weiss closed her eyes as she reached the chorus, "I don't know where we should go~ just feeling farther from our goal~ I don't know, what path we will be shown. But I know that when I'm with you I'm at home~ Yes I know that when I'm with you I'm at home~."
Weiss felt Killua finally calm down enough to fall asleep. She gently smiled. In the morning she'd get Klein to treat his wounds. They'd all have breakfast together, her, Killua, Kalluto, and Allu-
"Weiss."
Weiss opened her eyes and saw Illumi standing on the side of her bed, looking down at them with his large black eyes.
Weiss jolted up when a pain shot through her head. She sat up and looked around. She was surrounded by other applicants that were asleep. Most of which were snoring. She stood up, gathered her things, and left the room.
She didn't bother to put up her hair, she was just taking a short walk to clear her head before going back to bed. She wanted to be rested and ready. She needed to pass this exam. That was the deal.
If Weiss passed this exam, then she'd go back and rescue Kalluto. She had to prove to herself that she was finally strong enough. Her thoughts drifted to Killua. He managed to leave on his own, but Kalluto still needed help.
When Winter told Weiss that she wanted them to leave. Weiss wanted to take their younger siblings with them. Weiss could tell, Winter did want to take all of them, but she explained to Weiss, that there was no way their family would allow it. Just getting the two of them out was difficult enough.
Weiss only left when Winter promised to return for their younger siblings when they were stronger.
Weiss turned a corner, when she spotted two applicants approaching Killua, "Hey kid, where are your manners."
Without another word, Weiss shot forth, then delivered a swift chop to the back of their necks causing to fall over unconscious. She sighed.
"You didn't have to do that Weiss," Killua said.
"I think I did," Weiss said, "Retract you claws."
After a few minutes, Killua calmed down. He turned to face Weiss as she approached him, she looked concerned, "I thought you said, you were sick of killing."
He sighed, "I was mad."
"Being mad, isn't an excuse to kill," Weiss scolded, she sighed, "They were idiots, but they weren't worth it. Did they make you mad?"
"No," Killua sighed.
Weiss took his hand, "Come on, you know can tell me about it," Weiss led him down the hall as they walked.
"Gon?" Ruby wondered the halls looking for her little cousin, "Gon?"
"He's just down the hall."
Ruby jumped with a squeal before turning around to find, Netero.
"Oh, Mr. Netero sir," Ruby quickly said, "Um... you've seen Gon?"
The old man laughed, "Indeed, we played a small game together." He looked at Ruby, or rather, her eyes.
She has silver eyes... I should probably tell Ozzie.
"I'm really sorry if he did or said something he shouldn't," Ruby said.
Netero laughed, "Don't worry, I had a lot of fun," Netero then left the girl. She went down the hall and found Gon passed out on the floor. He had a bump on his head, but he was sleeping with a blissful smile on his face.
She smiled, before lying next to him, using her red hood as a blanket to cover both of them.
Weiss found an empty room, where they could spend the night. She was sitting next to Killua when he finished his story.
"So, you were upset that you couldn't win a game?" Weiss asked.
Killua pouted, when she said it like that, it sounded petty, "Maybe."
Weiss sighed, "You're such a kid," she began to stand up, "Killua, there's always going to be someone stronger than you. Despite what dad and Illumi said, we're not the strongest people in the world. And that's not a bad thing. You should-..." Weiss was about to walk away when she felt Killua grab her wrist.
She looked back down at him. Killua didn't look up, but Weiss saw the slight blush as his hand slid down to gently hold her hand. Silently asking her to stay.
Weiss didn't need to be told twice, she sat back down next to him. Her arm wrapped around his shoulders bringing him into a hug.
"Netero isn't an enemy," Weiss whispered.
"I know," Killua whispered, "It's still annoying."
"Is the exam that bad?"
"It's just boring," Killua complained.
"What about Gon, is he boring?"
"No, he's a lot of fun," Killua said.
"So, taking the exam isn't so bad," Weiss explained, "You got to meet Gon."
Killua wanted to say, and I found you. But it was so embarrassing. Well... no one was around, it was just them in that room, so, he moved his arms to wrap around her waist. Weiss adjusted so they were laying on the floor, resting comfortable with each other. Killua buried his face in her chest. It had been so long, since he felt this safe.
Weiss looked towards the door. She recalled her dream. Not wanting any intruders, she raised her hand and shot a beam of Nen towards the door. When it knock on the door handle, a glyph appeared. That would keep the door shut. No one could even break it down. Now, the two could sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.
Every time Weiss tries to remember Alluka, she gets a headache. You can probably guess why... or rather who?
In case it's not obvious, Winter may have the... Hubba-hubba's for a certain spider.